Fiat 600 SIATA 1963

Project Info

The condition of this engaging little car reflects the fact that it has had only two careful owners from new, the second an elderly mechanic who had maintained the car for its original proprietor. An odometer reading of 62,000 km is believed genuine and the condition of the interior trim is indicative of the care that has been lavished on this car, particularly the upgrade of the power unit with a SIATA elaborazione, the two-tone paint scheme and accessory grille.
Well-known for the manufacture of small sports cars based on Fiat mechanics, SIATA was founded in 1926 in Turin by enthusiastic amateur racer Giorgio Ambrosini as the Societa’ Italiana Applicazione Techniche Auto-Aviatore to offer tuning equipment and performance conversions, which led to the production of complete cars after World War Two. Alongside this activity, which continued until 1970, SIATA still offered accessories and engine conversions for Fiat cars.
The Fiat 600 was launched at the 1955 Geneva Salon and was hailed as “an intriguing car with a future… [illustrating] how a rearrangement of the basic components can often result in a considerable saving of space”. The task of developing the new model had begun early in 1951, when Fiat’s forward design office led by Dante Giacosa had begun work on a replacement for the ageing Fiat 500 ‘Topolino’. Prototypes were tested in the mountains west of Turin under the direction of former grand prix driver Carlo Salamano. The power unit was a watercooled oversquare 633cc inline ohv four with a light-alloy cylinder head, mounted “back-to-front” behind the rear axle in a monocoque steel body which provided seating for four adults.
The new model was hugely successful and became the first Fiat model to sell more than a million units. An update for the 1960 model year increased the swept volume to 767 cc, as on the car offered here. By the time the 600 went out of production in 1970, more than 2.6 million units had been built.
L'état de cette séduisante petite voiture provient du fait qu'elle n'a connu que deux propriétaires soigneux, le second étant un mécanicien plus âgé qui l'avait entretenue pour son premier propriétaire. Le chiffe affiché au compteur, 62 000 km, a tout lieu de correspondre à la réalité et l'état des garnitures est révélateur des soins dont cette voiture a fait l'objet dont l'amélioration de son moteur avec une préparation d'origine SIATA, un schéma de peinture en deux tons et une calandre accessoire.